DRUGS ABUSE AMONG YOUTHS: CORRELATES TO INSECURITY AND DECLINE IN SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The focus of this study was to investigate drugs abused among youths and the correlation of drug use to insecurity and decline in socio-economic development in Rivers State. Two null hypotheses were generated for the study. Survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study was Rivers State, and it covered all youths who are out of drugs in the State. a sample of 300 respondents was selected for the study. The selection was done through the use of simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques. The questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. The instrument was content validated by professionals in the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Choba. Furthermore, the reliability value of 0.80 Correlation Co-efficient was obtained for the study. The statistical methods used for the study were percentage, frequency and contingency tables and a bar-graph as well as Chi-square (c²) for the study. Percentage was used to analyze biographical data of respondents’ results as presented in a frequency table and a bar-graph for the study. Additionally, c² was used to analyze the tested hypotheses for the study at 0.05 level of significance. The results of the analyses revealed that correlationships (associations) exist between drugs abused among youths and insecurity as well as decline in socio-economic development in Rivers State in Nigeria. In congruence with the findings, the study recommended, among others, that the State Government should, through traditional and social media outlets inform, educate and communicate with the public especially the youths on the dangers of abusing drugs and how to halt the psycho-social effects of same on them, and indeed on people in Rivers State.